Instruction device for telling time



Aug. 8, 1961 D. SPOONER 2,994,970

' INSTRUCTION DEVICE FOR TELLINGVTIME Filed June 27, 1960 IN VEN TOR. 22 DA N/E L SPOO/VEA E/Lunar; 311W )Q Lu/m) ATIORNEY 2,994,970 INSTRUCTION DEVICE FOR TELLING TIME Daniel Spone1','548 E. Bay Drive, Long Beach, N.Y. Filed June 27, 1960, Ser. No. 38,977 '4 Claims. (Cl. 35-39).

This invention relates generally to instruction devices for children, and is especially concerned with an instruction device for telling time.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a watch or clock which greatly simplifies the telling of time to facilitate learning the same by even relatively young children.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a watch or clock of the type described wherein certain elements thereof are provided with visual indication creating correspondence or association between the elements to lead a child through the steps required in telling time.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an instruction device for telling time having the advantageous characteristics set forth in the preceding paragraphs which is extremely simple in construction, entirely reliable in use, and which can be economically manufactured for sale at a reasonable price.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a ma terial part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

The single figure is a front view showing a watch constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a watch is there generally designated 20, and includes a case generally designated 21 connected to a pair of opposed strap or band ends 22. The internal mechanism may be conventional, and is therefore not shown. A conventional winding and setting knob or stem is shown at 23.

The clock includes a face, generally designated 25, and a pair of hands 26 and 27 arranged in front of the face and each mounted at one end for rotation about an axis 28 located centrally of and disposed normal to the face. It will be observed that the hand 26 is relatively short, as is characteristic of the hour hand, and that the hand 27 is relatively long, being characteristic of the minute hand. Further, the shorter, hour hand 26 is provided with characterizing indicia, say in the form of a color,.-

such as white. The minute hand 27 is also characterized by suitable indicia, say another color, being shown in the drawing as blue.

imprinted on the face 25, in circular arrangement about and concentric with the axis 28 are hour numerals 30. The hour numerals may be located in a circular configuration having a radius slightly greater than the length of the hour hand 26; and, the hour numerals are imprinted or otherwise provided with visual characterization corresponding to that of the hour hand, say being colored white. The hour numerals may each be relatively large and occupy a substantial area in the sector through which the hour hand moves during that hour.

in addition, the clock face 25 is marked with a plurality of radially extending lines 40, being twelve in number and each corresponding to a respective hour location. The hour numerals 30 are each located adjacent to a respective radial line 40, on one side thereof in the clockwise direction; and further, each radial line 40 is preferably connected to its associated hour numeral 30 by a connection line 41 extending clockwise from the respective radial line.

The face 25 is further provided, as by imprinting or otherwise, with a circular arrangement of minute numerals 31, which are located at a distance from the axis 28 slightly greater than the length of the minute hand 27. Thus, the minute numerals 31 may be arranged in a circle about the circular arrangement of hour numerals 31, and extending about the periphery of the clock face 25. In place of usual minute numeral in radial alignment with the hour numeral 12, there is preferably provided a diagrammatic illustration 32 representative of a clock. The minute numerals 31 and the clock representation 32 are visually characterised in correspondence with the minute hand 27, so as to be colored blue in the instant embodiment.

At a suitable location on the clock face 25', say directly over or above the central axis 28, there is provided intelligence associated with the telling of time. In the illustrated embodiment, the intelligence is TY-MIZ, a phonetic spelling of TIME IS, which terminology conventionally precedes the telling of time. The intelligence or notation TYMIZ is designated 35 in the drawing, and is provided with a visually distinguishable characteristic, such as being colored red.

At a suitable location on the clock face 25, say immediately below the intelligence 35, there is provided indicia generally designated 36 having an arrangement corresponding to the order of steps in the telling of time. More specifically, the indicia 36 includes a plurality of indicia 37, 38, and 39 arranged in the normal left-to-right reading sequence and each visually corresponding to a particular step in the time-telling procedure. Thus, the indicium 37 may be colored red in correspondence with the intelligence 35, while the indicium 38 may be colored white in correspondence with the hour hand 26, and the indicium 39 may be colored blue in correspondence with the minute hand 27. The overall indicia 36 are thus prefer-ably in the familiar colors of the United States flag.

It will now be appreciated that the indicia 36 provide the child with a key, or simple order to follow which results in the telling of time. That is, corresponding to the initial indicium 37 which is red, is the intelligence 35, which precedes the actual telling of time. Next, the indicium 38, which is white, tells a child to read the white hour numeral indicated by the while hour hand 26. The child is next directed by the blue indicium 39' to read the minute numeral 31 pointed to by the blue minute hand 27. Following this simple directed procedure, a child would say Time is eight-twenty-four. Of course, the same directed procedure applies at all readings of the clock, with the exception that when the time is indicated as being on the hour the minute hand 27 points to the illustrated clock 32 and reminds the child to say oclock.

In this condition, the minute hand 27 is directly overlying the radial line associated with the hour numeral 12, while the hour hand 26 directly overlies any one of the radial lines 40, and the child can readily ascertain that the radial line '40 underlying the hour hand 26 is associated with the hour numeral to which it is connected by a connection line 41.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides an instruction device for telling time which fully accomplishes its intended objects and is well adapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture and use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by Way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made Within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An instruction device for telling time comprising a clock face having hour numerals indicated in one color and minute numerals indicated in another color, an hour hand of said one color, and a minute hand of said other color, said face being provided with colored indicia corresponding to said one and other colors and arranged in normal reading sequence, to indicate the order of reading said numerals as designated by said hands.

2. An instruction device for telling time according to claim 1, said face being marked with intelligence associated with the telling of time, said intelligence being indicated in a third color and said indicia including said third color and arranged to indicate the order of reading said intelligence and said numerals as designated by said hands.

3. An instruction device for telling time comprising a clock face having hour numerals indicated in one color and minute numerals indicated in another color, an hour hand of said one color, and a minute hand of said other color, saidface being provided with colored indicia corresponding to said one and other colors and arranged in normal reading sequence, to indicate the order of reading said numerals as designated by said hands, said face being imprinted with the illustration of a clock located in the place of the conventional minute numeral 60, said illustration being of said other color to indicate its being read when pointed to by said minute hand.

4. A time teaching instrument, comprising a clock face having hour numerals of one color, peripherally arranged minute numerals of a second color, and said face marked with intelligence associated with the telling of time in a third color, an hour hand of said one color, a minute hand of said second color, said face being provided with prominent colored areas adjacent said intelligence corre sponding to said first, second, and third colors and arranged in standard reading sequence to indicate the order of reading said intelligence and numerals as designated by said hands.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,695,463 Spooner Nov. 30, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 926,995 France Apr. 28, 1947 17,281 Great Britain May 18, 1916 of 1915 

